Jarrad Branthwaite: Top clubs backed to swoop for Everton star – Insider
Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite is being closely monitored by some of Europe’s top clubs ahead of a potential big-money exit from Goodison Park.
This is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the defender needs to prove himself again to earn a move away.
Brown explained that, following lengthy spells on the sidelines due to injury, the 22-year-old must show that he can turn in consistent performances in Sean Dyche’s side.
This comes after Football Insider revealed that Real Madrid are expected to push to sign the centre-back to resolve their injury crisis in defence.
Branthwaite’s form last season, in which he featured 41 times and established himself as the star of Dyche’s team, was enough to inspire interest from the likes of Madrid and Man United.
However, so far this season, the defender has featured just four times in the Premier League and has started just twice, playing a total of 186 minutes.
This has led to concerns about hit fitness, and interested clubs are said to be delaying potential moves as they wait for him to return to regular first-team action.
Jarrad Branthwaite must prove fitness at Everton after transfer twist
Brown has explained that last season’s form will not be enough to convince teams to make a move for him, and he will have to show he can bounce back strongly from his injuries.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment including in over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that interested clubs are still keeping a close eye on Branthwaite’s development.
“Those interested clubs are still watching him closely,” he told Football Insider.
“There’s a question mark over him because he was playing regularly and was very impressive last season.
“But then he picked up an injury and was out of the team for a while.
“Now, he’s just starting to come back, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll have been affected by the surgery he had.
“So he’s got to make the step up back to where he was, mainly with his fitness.
“He has to prove he’s still at that level and he can still turn in the types of performances he was turning in last season – because it’s only been one season.
“If he bounces back to his best and can prove he can do it consistently, I’d expect those clubs to come back in for him, and that could be worth a lot of money.”
In other news, Sean Dyche faces new sack threat at Everton.
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